There are 19 agencies out of which 13 are regulatory agencies and 19 departments under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (Nigeria).

Who is the Nigeria’s Minister of Health?

Havard University Professor, Ali Pate is Nigeria’s incumbent Minister of Health. Pate will also be the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.

Olikoye Ransome-Kuti and Dalhatu Tafida are some of the former ministers that coordinated the activities of Nigeria’s Health Ministry.

Pate holds one of the key ministries in Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet which was inaugurated on Monday, August 21, 2023, in Abuja.

Understanding the Federal Ministry of Health

One of the oldest ministries in Nigeria is Health, because of its importance to the well-being of the country. This isn’t peculiar to Nigeria alone, health ministry plays a crucial role in other countries around the world.

In Nigeria, the ministry is behind the formulation and implementation of health-related policies.

Composition of Nigeria’s Health Ministry

Composed of nine departments, six units, and seven agencies, it is made up of different aspects of health care.

While the departments play different roles ranging from awareness to massive vaccination against diseases, the agencies do most of the health-related research.

Agencies of Nigeria’s Ministry of Health:

Below are the agencies or parastatal in Nigeria’s health ministry and their core mandates:

1.  National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control  (NAFDAC)
2. National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)
3. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA)
4. Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR)
5. National Agency for Control of AIDs (NACA)
6. National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD)

Regulatory agencies of the Ministry of Health

1. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN),
2. Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN),
3. Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN),
4. Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON),
5. Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN),
6. Institute of Public Analysis of Nigeria (IPAN),
7. Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN),
8. Health Records Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORBN),
9. Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN),
10. Medical Rehab Therapists Registration Board (MRTBN),
11. Dental Technologists Registration Board of Nigeria (DTRBN),
12. Optometry and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), and 
13. Dental Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria (DThBN)  

Agency	Year of Establishment
NCDC	2011
NPHCDA	1992
NAFDAC	January 1993
NHIS	June 2005
NIPRD	1987
NIMR	1977
NACA	February 2000
MLSCN	2003

Mandates of the agencies of Nigeria’s Ministry of Health

NCDC

To detect, alert Nigerians and respond swiftly to any form of communicable disease in Nigeria

NPHCDA

To provide technical support to states, LGAs, and other stakeholders in the functioning, planning, implementation, supervision and monitoring of Primary Health Care services in Nigeria.

NAFDAC

To regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, medical devices and packaged water in Nigeria. To alert Nigerians about adulterated drugs in Nigeria in a situation where such drugs found their way into Nigeria.

NHIS

To provide social health insurance for Nigerians. 

Note: It failed due to corruption.

NIPRD

To develop drugs, biological products, and pharmaceutical raw materials so as to reduce reliance on imported pharmaceutical products

NIMR

To conduct research into health problems in Nigeria in the areas of communicable diseases

NACA

To facilitate the engagement of all tiers of government and all sectors on issues of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support in Nigeria

MLSCN

To regulate the training of Technicians, Scientists, and Assistants in any institutions in Nigeria and give periodic accreditation to institutions.

Departments

There are 19 departments in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare:

1. Information
2. Special projects
3. Internal audit
4. Servicom
5. Finance and Account
6. Nutrition
7. Food and drug services
8. ICT
9. Port Health
10. Hospital Services
11. Family Health
12. Public Health
13. HPRS
14. Anti-corruption
15. PPP/Diaspora
16. Procurement
17. Legal Services
18. Reform Coordination
19. Traditional complementary

Located at Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Shehu Shagari Way, Central Business District. Abuja .FCT – Nigeria, the Ministry of Health also has federal medical centres and federal teaching hospitals under its coordination.